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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. press — to push
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. degree — from a university
  7. drill — a practice
  8. drill — the tool
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. degree — temperature
  11. capital — a city
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. rock — a stone
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. rock — music
  16. press — a publisher
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. degree — an amount
  19. press — newspapers
  20. last — final
  21. last — finally
  22. last — to go on
  23. capital — money
  24. cabinet — ministers

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com